Ganagobie

28km north of Manosque via the N 4096 or by the charming little road coming from Lurs, the D462.
Ganagobie is the name given to the plateau, which from a height of 350 metres dominates La Durance and offers splendid look-out points over the valley. From the "'allée des Moines" (to the left of the church), you will have an exceptional view of the Valensole plateau and the foothills of the alps of Digne.

From the "allée de Forcalquier" (to the west of the plateau), you can see the Forcalquier basin and the Lure mountain.

The plateau is covered in pines, green oaks, broom and lavander and its hillsides are scattered with caves used as shelters during World War 2.

Ganagobie is also the name given to the remarkable priory situated on the same plateau. This monastery was founded in the 10th century by the Archbishop of Sisteron, who donated it in 965 to the Cluny abbey.

The monks built the current monastery in the 12th century and between 12 and 15 monks worked on the land and in the forest until the 14th century.

Later abandoned and then restored, the church today boasts a finely worked doorway and superb 12th century mosaics on the inside.

The land of the Priory was given to the Sainte-Madeleine community of Marseille at the end of last century to re-establish the Benedictine monastic order.

The eastern part of the plateau and the living areas are reserved for the monks and closed to the public, but the section to the west is open to outsiders throughout the year from 15 h to 17 h, except Mondays.